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Antoine Blanchet
Published on
Jan 4, 2025 at 7:08 p.m.
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A new year begins, and new major trials are expected in Paris over the next 12 months. From the trial of Gérard Depardieu for sexual violence to the attacks in Lyon and Nice, including the mysterious Athanor Masonic lodge, here is the legal highlights of 2025 to follow in the capital.
January 6: Nicolas Sarkozy tried in the Libyan financing affair
Yet another legal summons for the former head of state, recently sentenced in December to one year in prison. Alongside twelve other defendants, Nicolas Sarkozy will have to answer to accusations of “passive corruption” and “criminal conspiracy” regarding his presidential campaign. The latter would have received money from the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. On the dock will also be former ministers: Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux.
January 9: Stéphane Plaza tried for domestic violence
The star host of the real estate world must appear before the criminal court for domestic violence against several former partners. One of them notably had several fingers broken by the defendant. The latter also allegedly made death threats. He was to be tried at the end of August 2024, but according to his lawyer and a psychiatric assessment, his psychological state did not allow it. The hearing was therefore postponed.
February 10: Trial of the Nice basilica attack
On October 29, 2020, the city of Nice descended into horror. In less than ten minutes, Brahim Aouisaoui kills three people in the Nice basilica. He is finally overpowered by the police who shoot him. Seriously injured, the radicalized 21-year-old young man would have come specifically from Tunisia to commit the attack.
March 24: Trial of Gérard Depardieu for sexual violence
An iconic trial of sexual assault in the world of cinema. Gérard Depardieu must appear for violence committed against two women on the set of the film Les Volets Verts in 2021. The hearing was to be held at the end of October, but the actor did not appear. His lawyer declared that his state of health was not compatible with a trial. In parallel with this case, Gérard Depardieu is also indicted for acts of aggravated rape.
March 31: the attack on rue Victor-Hugo in Lyon
On May 24, 2019, a bag exploded in the heart of Lyon, on rue Victor-Hugo. In total, 14 people were injured by the explosion, including an 8-year-old child. Very quickly, the investigators managed to identify the author: it was Mohamed Hichem Medjouba young Algerian national aged 24. He was arrested three days later, indicted and placed in pre-trial detention. He admitted the facts and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
April 28: The Kim Kardashian kidnapping and robbery affair
An old and large-scale affair. In October 2016, American star Kim Kardashian was in Paris. In the middle of the night, several men broke into the luxury hotel where she was staying. The victim was kidnapped and jewelry was stolen. The total amount of the loot was estimated at just under 10 million euros. The robbers were finally arrested after a careful investigation. Unusual element: all are over 60 years old.
September 1: Affair of the killer lodge Athanor
It’s a sprawling affair and impressive in its scale. At the start of the 2025 school year, 22 people will be judged in “the barbouzes affair”. Among the accused, former DGSE and DGSI. The latter would have been part of a mysterious criminal cell created by two members of a Masonic lodge in Hauts-de-Seine. In exchange for money, the latter allegedly committed violence and assassinations. Among the cases: a rally driver killed in 2019 or even a political rivalry targeting the mayor of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Val-de-Marne).
November 4: Lafarge company judged for financing terrorism
This is a case that is over 10 years old. The construction company Lafarge, as well as eight people, including several company officials, will appear before the criminal court for financing of terrorism. Between 2013 and 2014, in the midst of the collapse of Syria, the defendants allegedly hired the services of jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, in order to maintain the activity of a cement factory in the country.
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